economical Hear it!

economical Definition

eco·nomi·cal (--i kəl)

adjective

  1. not wasting money, time, fuel, etc.; thrifty an economical person, an economical stove
  2. expressed or done with economy, as by using few words an economical style
  3. of economics; economic

economical Related Forms
ec′o·nom′i·cally adverb
economical Synonyms

economical

modif.

  1. Careful of expenditures

    thrifty, frugal, saving, sparing, prudent, careful, economizing, provident, niggardly, meager, miserly, stingy, mean, close, shabby, avaricious, penurious, chary, watchful, circumspect, parsimonious, conservative, tight*, closefisted*, penny-pinching*, cheeseparing*; see also stingy.

    Antonyms liberal, generous*, wasteful. *

  2. Advantageously priced

    reasonable, inexpensive, cheap, sound, low-cost, fair, moderate, marked down, on sale, money-saving; see also cheap 1.

  3. Making good use of materials

    practical, efficient, cost-effective, thrifty; see efficient 2.

economical implies prudent management of one's money or resources so as to avoid any waste in expenditure or use it is often economical to buy in large quantities; thrifty implies industry and clever management of one's money or resources, usually so as to result in some savings the thrifty housewife watched for sales; frugal stresses the idea of saving and suggests spending which excludes any luxury or lavishness and provides only the simplest fare, dress, etc. the Amish are a frugal people; sparing implies such restraint in spending as restricts itself to the bare minimum or involves deprivation sparing to the point of niggardliness; provident implies management with the foresight to provide for future needs never provident, he quickly spent his inheritance

economical Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • downturn: Add rising unemployment and economical downturn in to the mix, and things get very interesting.
  • repair: It will have been damaged beyond economical repair, usually with major structural damage.
  • solution: Our offices are an economical solution to working from home on a limited budget.
  • alternative: Credit Control Outsourcing can be an economical alternative to permanent staffing costs.
  • manner: The Lymington Harbor Commissioners have historically managed the harbor in a prudent and economical manner.
  • way: In order to proceed in the most economical way, I will tell you a story.

Modifying Another Word

  • surprisingly: Getting around Shetland isn't difficult; we have excellent roads and you'll find our bus and ferry services surprisingly economical.
  • extremely: I have had the car converted to run on LPG which makes it extremely economical to run.
  • reasonably: Here is a sports car that is incredibly reliable ( especially compared with an MGF ), certainly safe and reasonably economical to run.
  • highly: Secured business loans are offered at highly economical rates at all leading commercial loan lenders.
  • very: They're very economical too - saving up to 50 % in laundry costs.
  • fairly: Car Hire Hiring a car is a convenient and fairly economical way of getting around.

Infinitive complement

  • run: Running on unleaded gasoline the stove itself is very economical to run.
  • buy: You will find it more economical to buy more than one item, they have free delivery for orders of £ 50.00 or over.
  • use: Easy to insert, provides a lot of energy and is economical to use.

Used with adjective complement

  • prove: Service technician Lewis Jackson, of Robin Hood Watersports, believes regular servicing often proves more economical than repair following a breakdown.
  • become: Over the past twenty years, color printing has become much more economical which is equally true for forms of binding.

Preposition: in

  • run: I believe our version is the more economical in the long run, apart from being more sophisticated " .
  • term: This allows them to be economical in terms of energy expended per meter of distance traveled.

Preposition: with

  • truth: I was accused of being economical with the truth.
economical Quotes

Itcontains a misleading impression, not a lie.It was being economical with the truth.

—Armstrong, Robert, Baron Armstrong of Ilminster